Malden Musings: Larry Gilligan, fighting the good fight

Wednesday

Aug 9, 2017 at 10:14 AMAug 9, 2017 at 12:11 PM

By Peter Levine

Some of Malden's finest have walked the storied streets of Edgeworth.

Athletes such as Breno Giacomini of the N.Y. Jets and Kevin McGlinchy, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, unique characters like that inimitable rock ‘n roll rebel Nikki Stone, politicians such as U.S. Senator Ed Markey and many others who go on to lead exemplary lives, in and out of the spotlight so to speak.

If you were born and raised in this insular pocket of Malden you have a pretty good understanding of what I mean. One really good example of this is one Mr. Larry Gilligan. Proud Edgeworth guy and Malden High School 1986 graduate - Larry was vice president of his class and was a classmate of our esteemed Mayor Gary Christenson.

Larry is fighting the good fight these days. I am told that his battle with ALS has been nothing short of courageous as he remains a positive role model as a father and husband through these extremely trying times. A fundraiser held back in 2013 at the Moose was 300 “Malden Strong” with an outpouring of love and support rarely seen these days. Joey "Voices" Noone performed that evening. He calls Larry a "great guy" and he recalls that when he performed that night Larry had an "ear to ear smile on his face the whole time" and that "he was so grateful for the love and support of his family and friends!"

His best bud Bob Cianci Jr. wanted to go on record with this comment: "Through all of the hardships Larry has had to endure battling ALS, he has always maintained his sense of humor and infectious smile to all that really know him, he is the true definition of the word: INSPIRATION!"

Our honorable Mayor added this: "It was so great seeing Larry last week not only because he is my classmate from MHS's Class of 1986 but because he is a reminder about the meaning of life. Here he is battling ALS but you would never know it as all he wanted to do was relive the fun times we had in the past and hear about what was happening today particularly with the demolition of City Hall and the addition of Boda Borg. Larry remains without a doubt a class act and should serve as an inspiration to us all."

Here is a very special Malden Musings salute to one of Ward 2's and Malden's best and brightest, Larry Gilligan.

It is said in Malden Musings.....

• Whether you agree with it or not - no matter how you feel about opening up Pleasant Street and the demolition of "The Beast That Ate Pleasant Street" you have to admit that it was an exhilarating moment as we all watched Jackie Bouley's video of the final death blow to that Square-killing monster. With over 28,000 views so far that video has become a Malden viral sensation. Shot in front of Jackie & Douglas Tran's newest foodie venture “District Kitchen” on Florence Street it captured - for us long & short time Maldonians anyway - a very special and significant moment in our lives. Thank you Jackie!

• Amerige Park hoop legend Danny Meyers had the honor of being invited back to Malden recently to visit with Patty Kelly and the wonderful folks at Housing Families, “Transforming Lives” - on Eastern Avenue. For those unfamiliar with Patty and the work this awesome group does they advocate for the homeless in Malden, Medford and Everett and make a huge difference in many less fortunate peoples’ lives. The group was founded in 1986 by activists from the community concerned about the ever growing issue of homelessness. They focus on providing safe, temporary shelter and affordable rental housing for people (families and kids) in need. Thanks for the heads up Danny. If you put your heart and soul into this project as much as you put it into your hoop game then Housing Families has found the partner of a lifetime.

• Danny also reports that from time to time on nice (early) summer mornings, he likes to stop by his first home - Amerige Park - and shoot hoops for 20-30 minutes. He told me it "brings back memories" and helps him beat the Route 1 traffic.

• On a side note - back in the day - Danny rained many a jump shot over the outstretched arms of Cliff Cioffi, Gary Campsmith, George Miller, Jimmy Cahill, Franny and Joe Repucci, Dave McNary, Irwin Zalko, Barry Alman and Joe Levine.

• Count me in as a full fledged fan boy of “My Pizza” in Maplewood Square. The most underrated pie in Malden? Perhaps.

• The 88th annual Grand Festa in Honor of Saint Rocco begins tonight. The streets of Edgeworth will once again come alive and host the highlight of the summer social calendar in Malden with the biggest Italian block party this side of the North End. All are invited! This means you my friend Karen Hayes! For your entertainment needs we have Vinyl Groove tonight. Local classic rockers The Reminisants are Saturday night. Sunday night we have the return of local dance band heroes, The Keep It Real Band. Come by and enjoy. Have a sausage - with peppers and onions of course - a cold beer in the beer garden - and enjoy the company of some of Malden's best and brightest!

• Cryin' shame that “My Pizza” could not break the top four pizza joints in Malden in the latest Reader’s Choice Award - 2017 Wicked Local edition. Not that there is anything wrong with chain pizza places but they should be excluded from polls such as this. Just my opinion.

• Congrats to Fresco's Roast Beef & Seafood who seemed to have won just about every designated award.

• For the times they are a changin’ ... those gentlemen you see on Sunday mornings at the Edward J. “Eddie” Larson Memorial Field at Devir Park are indeed playing cricket. Playing out of the Merrimack League and utilizing a “hard tennis ball” most of the guys on both teams are long time friends and their intensity - and joy - is a sight to behold.

• I recently caught another very interesting episode of Malden Overcoming Addiction's MATV show with host Paul Hammersley and very special guests State Senator Jason Lewis along with Pastor Dan Ko from Seven Mile Road. Three reasons why we should all thank the (deity of your choice) that you were born in Massachusetts (or at least have the good sense to live here now).

• Congratulations to Paul by the way who officially became a Certified Addictions Recovery Coach in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! Reportedly only the second man in the state to complete this certification. Malden is proud of you dude!

Paul, in his usual heartfelt and eloquent way, had this to say about his personal recovery and his hope for the future: "I pray that this accomplishment speaks not for me and who I am, but more as a source of hope and inspiration to anyone who may be struggling. Don't ever stop fighting. You are worth it. You are stronger and more amazing than you know and your life can be better than you ever imagined. If I can do this, the sky is the limit for you. You've got this! And I have your back."

• Say it ain't so! Donut Villa is closing their doors after serving Malden the best donuts and coffee in the city for well over 40 years now. John will be hanging up his green sweater and N.E. Patriots baseball cap to enjoy life in retirement starting the 8th of August. He reports that there will be no more 2 a.m. wake up calls. He plans on sleeping in until about 8 or so followed by coffee and breakfast with the wife with a late morning walk around the lake followed by an early afternoon "Greek nap." Sounds wonderful my friend. All the best John. Malden Musings appreciates all you have done for Malden and we send our love and best wishes in retirement.

We're gonna miss you also Dawn and Maria! Hope to see you two in the future!

Fret not though! A young couple have purchased the business and plan to continue serving breakfast and coffee to Malden, Edgeworth and beyond.

John reportedly has passed on his secret donut recipe to the new owners and hopefully in the near future we'll all be enjoying those incredible honey dipped donuts again.

• Those dusty old road dogs Extreme are back in the saddle again in the summer of 2017! Gary (Cherone) and the boys in the band hit most of the world's hot spots on a short but eclectic tour that hits home in late August. From Milan, Italy - the Live Club on July 18 to Utrecht, Holland - Tivolivredenburg on July 25 to Hampton Beach, N.H. - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on Aug. 26, concluding in Worcester, at The Palladium on Sept 23. Expect to hear all your favorites and possibly a peak at a couple of as yet to be released tracks.

• Speaking of my pal the late Eddie Larson, here is another example of why I will continue to support Mayor Gary Christenson in the future. These words were spoken a couple years back now by Gary at the dedication of the ball field at Devir Park for Eddie: “In baseball they say that ‘the game isn’t over until it’s over,’ this dedication in Eddie’s memory will ensure that Eddie’s game will never be over and that his memory will live on at Devir Park in the many kids, teams and leagues that will continue to play ball.”

• Prepare to dance at the 88th annual Grand Festa in Honor of Saint Rocco. The “King of Reggae” music - Bob Marley - put it so nicely back on his 'Confrontation' record: "Love to see, when ya groove with the rhythm. Cause I love to see, when you're dancing from within. It gives great joy to see such sweet togetherness. Cause everyone's doing and their doing their best."

The Malden Summer Concert Series continues. On Tuesday, Aug. 1 we saw Malden's favorite legacy classic rock act - The Reminisants - entertain the biggest crowd of the year so far, for the 26th consecutive year by the way. Yes, Mike, Dom and the rest of the gang have been playing the Malden Summer Concert Series going as far back as the Mayor (Ed) Lucey administration in 1991 and have been together as a band for 44 years! They've been asked back year after year because, frankly, they are one of THE best in the business. Talented players with a great sense of humor who know how to please a crowd and keep them involved. Six takeaways from the show:

Highlight of the evening in the Courtyard at Malden High School, the iconic Moody Blues classic “Knights In White Satin.”

• Anybody else notice our very own China Garden (Highland Ave) in the Peter Berg docudrama "Patriots Day?" The Malden Summer Concert Series was funded this year by the producers of the movie “Patriots Day,” which was partially shot on the streets of Malden.

• Bass man Mark Poulin does a killer Roy Orbison. He once fronted his own Roy Orbison tribute band, which I saw one long ago night at Jonathan Swifts in Harvard Square.

Mark joked that he married a Malden girl and added that he "met her at the Vogue," which for Maldonians of a certain age in the crowd - which were many - brought back fond memories. Or not so fond depending on your experience in that long gone “singles” night club.

• Speaking with Mayor Christenson before the show - who just loves this summer concert series by the way - I discovered that he is a “Queen” fanatic and that he and I were at the same Queen concert at the Boston Garden back in 1982. Gary, 14 at the time, remembers Billy Squier opening for Freddie Mercury's Queen and that there was a strange, pungent smell of an illegal substance wafting through the crowd.

• Mark your calendars! The “Reminisants Cruise” takes place June 1st thru the 8th in 2018 aboard the Norwegian Dawn! Boston to Bermuda with the Reminisants! Priceless! Call Bob Zuckerman at 800-827-7779 ext. 4644 for details.

• As Peter Falk's iconic TV character "Columbo" would say, "Just one more thing sir" - great Malden story from old friend Bethany Rosa, former employee - 13 years - at the MRA. Beth is still around Malden these days and saw something the other day that caught her eye. She posted it to her Facebook page and made it public for all to see. She was driving by Green Street Park and saw some neighborhood kids playing basketball. A police officer pulled up and she thought he was going to confront them. But he didn’t. He started playing basketball with them. Beth took a picture and posted it publicly on her Facebook and tagged the Malden P.D. along with the City of Malden. Beth thought it would be a cool story and it certainly is. She dubbed this officer “Malden’s Peace Officer.” She later found out that he is the officer that is proficient in sign language. A "good guy," she told me. Thank you Beth for this small but very significant Malden “slice of life.”

Post Script - to Larry: “...Who could refrain, that had a heart to love, and in that heart courage to make love known?” William Shakespeare

- Peter Levine is a long-time Malden resident and a regular contributor to the Malden Observer. He can be reached at PeteL39@aol.com for comments, compliments, complaints, or criticisms.